... LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of work from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – a set that's a collection of mostly older tracks, but which also includes a dozen unissued numbers – all put together with that special flair that always made the group's mid-70s records so different than work of their contemporaries! In other words, this is hardly a lean "greatest hits" collection – and instead, the 3LP collection has bits from the first decade of the group's career coming together in all sorts of different ways – almost with the longform exploratory sense of Will The Circle Be Unbroken, and the playful interplay of their Stars & Stripes set – both expanded packages like this. There's many gems here in an array of styles – and titles include "Bayou Jubilee/Sally Was A Goodun", "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "Ripplin Waters", "You Are My Flower", "Creepin Round Your Back Door", "Sixteen Tracks", "Honky Tonkin", "Soldier's Joy", "Buy For Me The Rain", "Melissa", "Woody Woodpecker", "Cosmic Cowboy (part 1)", "Mother Earth Provides For Me", "Jamaica Lady", "Gavotte No 2", "All I Have To Do Is Dream", "Visiting An Old Friend", and "Win Or Lose". CD

Brilliant early work from Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – a group who grew up in the same Cali sunshine that birthed The Byrds, but who definitely took a very unique path in the way they blended together folk, rock, and country! These guys show their wit on their sleeves a bit more than in later years – almost a Mike Nesmith sense of their style, seen from the outside – with an approach that's kind of a running commentary on what they're trying to do, even at the same time they're doing it so well. Songs are plenty playful, with almost a late 60s Warner Brothers revision of nostalgia at times – and titles include "Buy For Me The Rain", "Song to Jutta", "Candy Man", "Dismal Swamp", "Crazy Words Crazy Tune", and "You're Gonna Get It In The End". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary 3LP set – core work by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, with help from many others who make the record great – including Mother Maybele Carter, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Jimmy Martin, and Roy Acuff! The whole thing feels a lot more like a traditional bluegrass album than you'd expect – comes off beautifully at a level the group would never hit again! CD

... CD

Weirdly wonderful sounds from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – emerging here as a post-folk group who haven't really gone for sunshine pop, but who know how to use both their own harmonies and the strengths of the studio to their best advantage! There's definitely some catchy vocal bits that recall the work of some of their contemporaries – but these guys also had a strong commitment to roots sounds, right from the start – and contribute some surprisingly strong work on mandolin, harmonica, and other instruments that give them a deeper sound than polished California pop! They've also got a time-spanning quality that fits their name and look – 20s dandies into 60s hippies – and titles include "Happy Fat Annie", "Truly Right", "Search The Sky", and "Shadow Dream Song". LP, Vinyl record album

A real shift in sound for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – as the group drop the "nitty gritty" for their name, and go for a well-rounded sound that shows off their songwriting in a very different way! There's little of the rootsy elements of Will The Circle Be Unbroken here – as the group warm things up in more of an AOR style, yet still include some acoustic elements too – almost going for a mix of country roots and more polished crossover modes, with a sound that's more in keeping with their LA roots than most of their other 70s records. Yet taken from the perspective of a mainstream record, the songwriting and execution are great – definitely a cut above – and titles include "You Can't Stop Loving Me Now", "Whoa Babe", "Escaping Reality", "For A Little While", "Lights", and "Wild Nights". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great package, and one that shows all the cool criss-crossings of styles that we happening up in the hills of LA at the end of the 60s! The artists here are all part of the famous Laurel Canyon scene – a place where late folk, new psych, country rock, and other modes criss-crossed in loose social networks, music studios, and clubs – creating an array of sounds here that really might catch you by surprise! You'll know most of the artists within, but the presentation of them together makes for a very cool compilation – especially as the 3CD set begins with lesser-known early work, then tracks shifts in sounds and styles – moving into later years when the artists and sounds had shifted down into the Hollywood scene. At another level, the whole thing also just makes for a great evolution of Cali rock and pop over a few short years – presented with detailed notes on the artists, songs, and scene – with a set list of 72 tracks that includes work by The Turtles, Rick Nelson, Love, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Gentle Soul, Clear Light, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Stephen Stills, JD Souther, Judee Sill, Crazy Horse, Nilsson, Ned Doheny, Leon Russell, Howdy Moon, Jo Mama, The Leaves, Byrds, MFQ, Steve Noonan, Barry McGuire, Holy Mackerel, Ruthann Friedman, Smokey Roberds, Susan Carter, Loggins & Messina, Gram Parsons, and many others! CD

Features John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, the Lincoln Park Pirates, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Smith, Ed Holstein, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. CD

A really mighty collection, and really the first to give NRBQ their full due – as the set not only brings together an amazing scope of sounds recorded over the space of decades, but also includes some new material never issued elsewhere! The package is kind of a history book that starts at the present, then leaps into the past – as some of the new material is on CD1, then CDs 2 through 5 take a very long journey from the group's mid 60s roots as underground southern rockers, through a variety of changes over the 70s, 80s, and 90s. CD2 might well be the coolest – as it features 23 tracks that are just from the years 1966 through 1970 – really demonstrating that New Rhythm & Blues Quartet element that gave the group their name – a fresh take on older R&B modes, but given a bit of a southern rock spin – almost making the group an equivalent to that music that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were to roots and bluegrass. The package features an insane amount of music – 106 tracks in all, some of them live, some of them rare, and even early home recordings – and the whole thing comes with a huge booklet of notes as well! CD

Music from Christie, Lynn Anderson, Ray Price, Sammi Smith, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Wadsworth Mansion, Brewer & Shipley, Ocean, the Bells, Matthews' Southern Comfort, Mark Lindsay & the Glass Bottles. CD

Includes 40 tracks on 2 CDs and features work with Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. CD

Music from Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, the Louvin Brothers, the Carter Family, Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans, Webb Pierce, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and more. CD

Features John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, the Lincoln Park Pirates, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Smith, Ed Holstein, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. CD

Four albums that show the continuing evolution of Earl Scruggs in the 70s – with a sound that's very different than his earlier music, and maybe even sharper instrumentation overall! First up is I Saw The Light – a record made after the famous banjo pioneer split with Lester Flatt, and was very popular with a young rock crowd – as evidenced by help he gets here from Linda Ronstadt and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – not to mention Gary and Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements, and Norman Blake! The mix of famous names and the growing Scruggs Review sound is great – and the record is an unlikely but important entry in the rise of country rock during the early 70s, with a very different quality than some of Earl's earlier work. We might well thank the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – as the vibe is similar at times to their shifting music of the period – mixed with some Mike Nesmith inspiration, as a few of his tunes are included. Titles include "Lonesome & A Long Way From Home", "Silver Wings", "Never Ending Song Of Love", "Rock Sant & Nails", "Some Of Shelly's Blues", "It's A Picture From Life's Other Side", and "Propinquity". Features bonus tracks "The Cure", "I Saw The Light", "Fireball Mail", and "Tramp On The Street". On Live From Austin City Limits, the great Earl Scruggs takes on the growing Austin scene – which turns out to be a perfect fit for his Revue's blend of new country modes and older styles of instrumentation! Earl leads off the set with stunning work on banjo – maybe even sharper than earlier years – and the group lead off with some Dylan material at the start, showcasing some of their rock leanings – but soon bringing on other songs of their own, and making for this beautiful mix of key instrumental moments and lyrical passages. Lead vocals are from Gary Scruggs, and Randy and Steve Scruggs are in the group too – on titles that include "Nashville Skyline Rag", "I Shall Be Released", "Tall Texas Woman", "I Just Can't Seem To Change", "Black Mountain Blues", "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven", and "The Swimming Song". Strike Anywhere is a mighty nice album from the great Earl Scruggs – recorded with his boys' Revue group, and a sound that really helps keep Earl's instrumentation fresh for the 70s! Years back, we never would have thought that mixing the legendary Scruggs banjo sound with keyboards would have worked – but the change here is a great one, as Earl makes the shift that a few of his traditional instrumental contemporaries were doing at the time – such as Vassar Clements or Bashful Brother Oswald – finding a new setting for the instruments that still shine out in the lead at all the best moments. Titles include a great remake of "Mandolin Wind" – plus "Muhammad Ali", "Bring It On Home To Me", "You Really Got A Hold On Me", "I Think Of You", and "Dreaming As One". On Bold & New, the great Chips Moman produced and recorded the record – a set that shows that move that Earl had made into country rock during the decade, delivered in the best possible hands! Vocals are from some of Earl's sons, and the man himself still gets gets in plenty of banjo solos too – as the group mix their own material with a few from Bobby Emmons, who plays organ, electric piano, and clavinet on the set. Titles include "The Cabin", "Our Love Is Home Grown", "That's Alright Mama", "Found Myself A New Love", "Games People Play", "Take The Time To Fall In Love", and "Louisiana Lady". CD